If it’s to be, it’s up to me

The story we tell ourselves and others is our reality. All the triumphs, challenges, and ongoing battles we dwell on in our minds would be forever gone if we lost our lives tomorrow.

The truth is – no one makes you feel or act – it is your choice. The only thing controlled by you, is what you say and what you do.

Indianapolis is a city that studies say is one of the most difficult places to go from poverty as a child to prosperity as an adult. It is not because there are not opportunities – mostly a lack of relationships and access.

Education is the ladder out of poverty. The further you go in education – the higher the ladder. But we all know, education is time and time is precious when we have families to feed and jobs to work.

My work at Peace Learning Center involves helping people realize their true potential while overcoming their shortcomings.

People ask me, “How do you help young people succeed, especially if they’re in the juvenile justice system?”

It starts with taking personal responsibility for your life. No one makes you feel or do things – you are responsible for your own decisions. Once we realize this, we see that no one holds us back but ourselves.

Once you take charge – you start having hope for the future. Once you have hope – you realize that your education is the tool for positive change. Better understanding the world helps us determine our own destiny.

We are not our past. We are the present and the future. Our past is part of us, but every day we have a chance to write a new chapter and every day we have the chance to build new relationships.

We often teach that your whole life comes down to just ten two letter words.

If it is to be, it is up to me.

This post is written by Tim Nation, Executive Director and Co-founder of Peace Learning Center.